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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Pit Bull Puppies Poisoned At Pit Bull Awareness Event

Pennsylvania is not known as
very animal friendly as evidenced by the legality of live pigeon shooting in the state. Now comes an alarming story of
six 8-week-old pit bull puppies who were poisoned while attending a pit bull
awareness event in Hollidaysburg. How’s that for irony?

Founders of A
Darrah Bull Bully Rescue (ADBBR) brought the pups to the first annual Central
Pennsylvania Pit Bull Awareness Day on Saturday, October 13. At about 2:00
p.m. Renae Metz, one of the founders, noticed that one of the puppies, Yogi,
looked like he was having trouble. “His stomach was bloated, he had glazy eyes
and couldn’t hold his head up,” said Metz.

Yogi was rushed to Ebensburg
Animal Hospital where he died. The other five pups – Niayah, Mongy, Aramis,
Deacon and Takoda – were sent to the animal hospital for observation and given
IV fluids. Tragically, Takoda also died.

A necropsy confirmed poisoning.
Brittany Miller, another founder of ADBBR, spoke with me by telephone and
relayed the veterinarian suspected bleach or a bleach-based product was put in
the water bowls. This caused their livers to start bleeding. Two days before,
the puppies were given a clean bill of health by the veterinarian.

ADBBR
is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to a conviction of the
perpetrators. The money was generously donated by some of the adoptive parents,
and others, with a $1,000 donation from a single person. Both the Pennsylvania
State Police and the State Dog Warden are actively investigating this
poisoning.

All of the surviving puppies have been approved for adoptive
homes. Media coverage brought numerous applications. Niayah, Aramis,
Deacon and Mongy are all back in their foster homes awaiting final adoption.
Brittany told me the veterinarian wants to wait a little longer to spay/neuter
because of the poisoning. He wants to ensure it is totally out of their systems
before surgery.

Understanding Bully Breeds

ADBBR rescues
all bully breeds — from Rottweilers to bulldogs and pit bulls. They are
dedicated to educating the public about bully breeds. Did you know in the early
twentieth century pit bulls used to be called “nanny dogs” because they were so
dedicated to protecting the young children of their household?

It’s
important to understand that any dog has the potential to bite
humans.Without proper socialization as a puppy within a
loving home, any dog can become aggressive. If a dog – any breed – is raised to
be violent you have the possibility of aggression causing harm to humans and/or
other animals.

It is also imperative that people — especially children —
be taught humane education and the proper way to interact with unfamiliar dogs
and other animals. According to the American Humane Association (AHA), of the 4.7 million
estimated dog bites each year almost 800,000 require medical intervention. Fifty
percent of the attacks were on children under the age of 12.

Many
townships have passed breed-specific
legislation (BSL) but this only serves to provide a false sense of security,
because any dog can become aggressive. BSL is expensive and often
poorly-enforced, therefore providing little protection to the general public
from dog bite incidents.

The AHA reports 25 different breeds of dogs were
involved in 238 fatal dog attacks in the U.S. and sites “responsible breeding
and ownership, public education and enforcement of existing laws are the most
effective ways of reducing dog bites.”

Check out events for the 6th National Pit
Bull Awareness Day, being held this year on October 27.So yes, that
adage “it’s the deed, not the breed” is something we should all be aware
of.Take a look at some photos of the poisoned puppies Brittany Miller shared
with me.

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